Meta is preparing to reverse its roughly $2 billion purchase of AI startup Manus after China’s National Development and Reform Commission issued a formal order canceling the transaction. The regulator gave the companies a few weeks to restore Manus’s Chinese assets to their pre‑acquisition state. The move forces Meta to write down a major AI investment and raises questions about how China will treat foreign‑owned tech firms with links to the country. Read more →

China’s National Development and Reform Commission ordered Meta to unwind its $2 billion acquisition of Manus, an agentic AI firm founded by Chinese engineers and now based in Singapore. The regulator gave no public explanation, demanding the parties pull the deal and imposing exit bans on the startup’s founders. About 100 Manus staff have already moved into Meta’s Singapore offices, and the block threatens Meta’s push into AI agents while raising fresh concerns in Washington about Chinese‑linked technology investments. Read more →

China’s decision to halt Meta’s purchase of AI firm Manus has thrown the deal into limbo, raising fresh uncertainty for both companies’ artificial‑intelligence plans. Manus founders Xiao Hong and Ji Yichao had already moved most of their staff to Meta’s Singapore office and stripped the startup of Chinese ties. The cancellation could prevent Manus from using Anthropic’s Claude models and marks a setback for Meta’s pivot toward AI after years of investing in the metaverse. Industry observers say the move underscores the growing tech rivalry between Washington and Beijing. Read more →